The present invention relates generally to automatic performance devices capable of executing automatic performances such as arpeggio and sequence performances, and more particularly to an automatic performance device and method which can output note data resulting from predetermined automatic performance processing to external equipment or the like and also achieves an improved output form of the note data.
In the field of electronic musical instruments, there have been known automatic performance devices which are capable of executing arpeggio and sequence performances on the basis of, for example, an actual or manual performance on the keyboard. The arpeggio performance is an automatic performance in which a plurality of notes, corresponding to a single key or a plurality of keys of chord-component pitches being depressed on the keyboard, are sounded separately, one after another, in a predetermined rhythm throughout the depression of the key or keys. The sequence performance is an automatic performance in which a set of note data of each prestored short-phrase sequence is allocated to a particular keyboard key so that reproduction of the short-phrase sequence data is initiated by depression of the key and then stopped by release of the key. Normally, in both of the arpeggio and sequence performances, no notes are sounded which directly correspond to actual key depression states on the keyboard.
The above-mentioned known automatic performance devices are provided with MIDI (acronym of "Musical Instrument Digital Interface") output and input terminals. In these known automatic performance devices, however, what are output therefrom as MIDI data (or in MIDI form) are just note data generated by the keyboard performance, and automatically-generated note data of an arpeggio or sequence performance are not output as MIDI data. Thus, performance data generated by arpeggio or sequence performance processing could not be recorded by an external device that is designed to receive MIDI data for recording/reproduction of a desired performance, and hence an external tone generator device associated with the external device could not reproduce an arpeggio or sequence performance by reading out the performance data.
As one possible approach to allow such an external device to record note data obtained from predetermined automatic performance processing such as arpeggio performance processing, the automatically-generated note data of the arpeggio performance may be output, together with the note data corresponding directly to a keyboard performance, from the automatic performance device to the external device as MIDI data. However, when the MIDI note data output to and recorded in the external device are to be read out and reinput to the automatic performance device for reproduction of an original performance, the performance device, having an arpeggio performance function, would automatically carry out further arpeggio performance processing on the reinput note data. This dual arpeggio performance processing would create a rather strange performance that is significantly different from the original performance.
In addition, when the MIDI data recorded in the external device are to be edited, the editing tends to be quite complex and troublesome because both the note data generated by the keyboard performance and the note data generated by the arpeggio performance processing are complicatedly mixed within the MIDI data.
As discussed above, various inconveniences have heretofore been encountered when the note data generated by the automatic performance processing, such as arpeggio performance processing, are to be output in MIDI form from the automatic performance device.